# Alexander G.G. Turpie
**Alexander G.G. Turpie** is a physician-scientist in thrombosis research, Professor Emeritus of Medicine at [McMaster University](https://www.edgepedia.org/mcmaster-university) and an internist on the staff of Hamilton Health Sciences in [Hamilton, Ontario](https://www.edgepedia.org/hamilton-ontario).[1](https://experts.mcmaster.ca/people/turpiea) His research centers on new antithrombotic drugs for venous and arterial thrombosis and on anticoagulant therapy in patients with prosthetic heart valves.[1](https://experts.mcmaster.ca/people/turpiea)
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Field | Thrombosis research[1](https://experts.mcmaster.ca/people/turpiea) |
| Position | Professor Emeritus of Medicine, McMaster University; internist, Hamilton Health Sciences[1](https://experts.mcmaster.ca/people/turpiea) • [2](https://vte.garfieldregistry.org/about/meet-the-scientific-committee/dr-marc-carrier) |
| Training | University of Glasgow; residencies at Glasgow Royal Infirmary and Stobhill General Hospital[2](https://vte.garfieldregistry.org/about/meet-the-scientific-committee/dr-marc-carrier) |
| Signature work | RECORD3 trial of rivaroxaban versus enoxaparin after total knee arthroplasty, New England Journal of Medicine, 2008[3](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa076016) |
| Publications | More than 700 articles, abstracts, book chapters, and books[2](https://vte.garfieldregistry.org/about/meet-the-scientific-committee/dr-marc-carrier) |
| Industry roles | Consultant to Sanofi-Aventis, Pfizer, Bayer, Astellas, and Portola[4](https://clotcare.org/displayeb_eb-turpie_aspx.html) |
| Most recent indexed work | 2023 GARFIELD-VTE cohort paper on US and Canadian venous thromboembolism treatment patterns[5](https://orthoarchives.com/en/orthoscience/author/A5108112469) |
## Training and career
Turpie received his medical education from the [University of Glasgow](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-glasgow), Scotland.[2](https://vte.garfieldregistry.org/about/meet-the-scientific-committee/dr-marc-carrier) After residencies at Glasgow Royal Infirmary and Stobhill General Hospital, where he was also a clinical research fellow, he served as a clinic lecturer for the University of East Africa Medical School in Nairobi, Kenya.[2](https://vte.garfieldregistry.org/about/meet-the-scientific-committee/dr-marc-carrier) He then returned to Glasgow for additional training in haemostasis and thrombosis before moving to Canada.[2](https://vte.garfieldregistry.org/about/meet-the-scientific-committee/dr-marc-carrier)
At McMaster University he was appointed a Medical Research Council Fellow and then joined the full-time faculty of the Department of Medicine.[2](https://vte.garfieldregistry.org/about/meet-the-scientific-committee/dr-marc-carrier) Publication affiliation records place him in the McMaster Department of Medicine from 2001 to 2011 and at Hamilton Health Sciences from 2002 to 2009.[6](https://www.wikigenes.org/e/author/e/1184958.html) He is a fellow of the [Royal College of Physicians](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-college-of-physicians) and Surgeons of Canada, of Glasgow, and of London, and a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Cardiology.[4](https://clotcare.org/displayeb_eb-turpie_aspx.html) He has also served as an external examiner for MD and MBBS programs of the [University of the West Indies](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-the-west-indies) and for MB ChB programs at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.[4](https://clotcare.org/displayeb_eb-turpie_aspx.html)
## Representative work
In RECORD4, a phase III randomized trial of more than 2,500 knee arthroplasty patients, rivaroxaban gave a primary efficacy outcome of about 7 percent versus about 10 percent with enoxaparin 30 mg twice daily (absolute risk reduction about 3 percent, p=0.0118), with major bleeding about 0.7 percent versus 0.3 percent (p=0.1096).[8](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19411100/)
Earlier work established the same pattern with other drug classes. His 1986 randomized controlled trial tested the low-molecular-weight heparin enoxaparin to prevent deep-vein thrombosis in patients undergoing elective hip surgery.[5](https://orthoarchives.com/en/orthoscience/author/A5108112469) In 1989 he was corresponding author of a paper comparing high-dose with low-dose subcutaneous heparin to prevent left ventricular mural thrombosis after acute transmural anterior myocardial infarction.[9](https://doi.org/10.1016/0002-9149(90)90110-m)
## Role in anticoagulant development and industry
In 2001 he was corresponding author of the first trial of the synthetic pentasaccharide Org31540/SR90107A, later known as fondaparinux; according to the trial's paper, the drug is a highly selective, indirect inhibitor of activated factor X and the first of a new class of synthetic antithrombotic agents.[10](https://doi.org/10.1056/nejm200103013440901) In that double-blind dose-ranging study of 933 total hip replacement patients, venous thromboembolism rates fell across doses from 11.8 percent to 0 percent (dose effect P=0.002); the 3.0-mg dose reduced the risk of venous thromboembolism by 82 percent compared with enoxaparin (P=0.01), while the 6.0-mg and 8.0-mg arms were discontinued because of bleeding complications.[10](https://doi.org/10.1056/nejm200103013440901)
He has acted as a consultant to Sanofi-Aventis, Pfizer, Bayer, Astellas, and Portola.[4](https://clotcare.org/displayeb_eb-turpie_aspx.html)
## Guidelines, publication record and recent work
According to his GARFIELD-VTE Registry Scientific Committee profile, Turpie has authored more than 700 published articles, abstracts, book chapters, and books, and has reviewed for Annals of Internal Medicine, Circulation, The Lancet, and [The New England Journal of Medicine](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-new-england-journal-of-medicine).[2](https://vte.garfieldregistry.org/about/meet-the-scientific-committee/dr-marc-carrier) His reviews engage the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) guidelines for venous thromboembolism, whose 1998 version advocated low-molecular-weight heparins as an alternative to unfractionated heparin for initial treatment and risk stratification to guide the duration of secondary thromboprophylaxis.[12](https://experts.mcmaster.ca/scholarly-works/840443) In 2012 he authored a management consensus guidance for rivaroxaban in [Thrombosis](https://www.edgepedia.org/thrombosis) and Haemostasis.[6](https://www.wikigenes.org/e/author/e/1184958.html)
His most recent indexed work is a 2023 GARFIELD-VTE cohort paper comparing United States and Canadian treatment patterns in venous thromboembolism outcomes.[5](https://orthoarchives.com/en/orthoscience/author/A5108112469)
## References
1. Alexander Graham Gri Turpie, McMaster Experts. https://experts.mcmaster.ca/people/turpiea
2. Professor Alexander G Turpie, GARFIELD-VTE Registry Scientific Committee. https://vte.garfieldregistry.org/about/meet-the-scientific-committee/dr-marc-carrier
3. Rivaroxaban versus Enoxaparin for Thromboprophylaxis after Total Knee Arthroplasty (RECORD3), NEJM 2008. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa076016
4. Alexander G.G. Turpie, MD, FRCP, FACP, FACC, FRCPC, ClotCare. https://clotcare.org/displayeb_eb-turpie_aspx.html
5. Alexander G.G. Turpie, OrthoScience/OrthoArchives. https://orthoarchives.com/en/orthoscience/author/A5108112469
6. WikiGenes, Alexander G. G. Turpie. https://www.wikigenes.org/e/author/e/1184958.html
7. Rivaroxaban versus Enoxaparin for Thromboprophylaxis after Hip Arthroplasty (RECORD1), NEJM 2008. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa0800374
8. Rivaroxaban versus enoxaparin for thromboprophylaxis after total knee arthroplasty (RECORD4), PubMed record. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19411100/
9. https://doi.org/10.1016/0002-9149(90)90110-m
10. A Synthetic Pentasaccharide for the Prevention of Deep-Vein Thrombosis after Total Hip Replacement, NEJM 2001. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejm200103013440901
11. Drug Study Shows Improvement in Major Orthopedic Surgery Care, PR Newswire 2010. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/drug-study-shows-improvement-in-major-orthopedic-surgery-care-98093119.html
12. Looking forward in the treatment of deep-vein thrombosis, McMaster scholarly work record. https://experts.mcmaster.ca/scholarly-works/840443
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Life and health scientists › Medical and health researchers › Hematology and blood disorder researchers › Coagulation and fibrinolysis researchers › Surnames Ky to W*
*Initially written Sep 21, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 25, 2026; Sep 30, 2026 · Edited: Sep 25, 2026; Sep 30, 2026 · Last review: Sep 30, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license